Consumers are always smart and they can easily evaluate the finest product among others on the shelf. A consumer might not try the product before having the perceived notion, but the decision is most of the time based on their perception. The perception is sometimes based on the packaging, the product by its container and sometimes it's unique branding. We can see the packaging industry is dominated by plastic and glass, and it is important to make an informed decision about which one is better glass or plastic. Let’s do a logical analysis of both packaging materials, and find the top 4 factors to consider for packaging your products.

Factor 1: Quality Perception Between Glass and Plastic

A recent study on consumer behaviour on packaging reveals that more than 70% of consumers believe that food products packaged in the glass had a higher level of satisfaction than the same product packaged in plastic. Although glass packaging products are expensive, it offers a premium experience, and consumers believe that glass packaging lies with their concept of a holistic lifestyle.

Factor 2: Stark Difference in Characteristics & Chemical Compatibility

For sensitive products in the pharmaceutical industry or personal care products, or even the food and beverage industry where products need to be stored for long periods, glass is the preferable choice of packaging. Since glass is less permeable to CO 2  and O 2  than plastic, fizzy products and alcoholic products remain longer. Also, glass can handle a wide range of temperatures and will not warp under pasteurization.

On the other hand, plastic is versatile, and each type of plastic has its own chemical compatibility properties, temperature rating, impact resistance and others.

Factor 3: Environmental Factor & Recycling

If you talk about energy consumption during glass manufacturing, it is much greater than plastic, but glass is 100% recyclable, which means each time glass is recycled, it has no loss of quality. Another advantage of glass is, it can be washed and sterilized, and while plastic can also be recycled, it can degrade with each cycle. Producing a single-use glass takes a good amount of energy, however, glass is 100% natural, so it is more favourable than plastic.

Factor 4: Glass vs Plastic: Impact on Health

Glass packaging products are made of natural material, so it is non-toxic, free from potentially harmful chemicals. Glass packaging products are mostly used for food and beverage industries because of no negative impact to health. Moreover, it has a high resistance to leaching into your product even when contained for long periods of time.  Plastic gets a bad reputation for its toxicity and tendency to leech into products.